Murkomen Thanks Police for Commendable Job During Saba Saba

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday praised the National Police Service for their handling of the Saba Saba Day protests, crediting officers with preventing the kind of destruction witnessed in previous demonstrations.

Speaking after the day-long security operation that saw major roads into Nairobi’s Central Business District barricaded, Murkomen expressed gratitude to police officers deployed across the country for maintaining order during the protests.

“Thank you very much because if it was not for the work you did, we could be discussing the kind of damage that we witnessed last week,” Murkomen told anti-riot police officers at the CBD, with Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo in attendance.

The CS emphasized that the security measures, while causing inconvenience to many Kenyans, were necessary to protect businesses and public property from criminal elements who have previously hijacked peaceful protests.

“The structure that we put in place today, many goons and criminals did not get a chance to invade properties,” Murkomen explained, noting that the government’s primary concern was public safety.

However, he acknowledged the disruption caused to ordinary citizens, with thousands of Kenyans left stranded as major roads were blocked and businesses remained closed out of fear.

“I want to tell all Kenyans who felt inconvenienced as a result of this security operation, we are sorry. We just had to do this because we wanted you to be safe, and we wanted your property to be safe,” the Interior CS said.

Murkomen credited the police presence with significantly reducing potential damage, though he admitted there were still isolated incidents of unrest, including shop looting and buildings being burnt in some areas.

“All Kenyans should be home and happy that as much as possible, the National Police Service and the police officers have minimised the damage today,” he stated.

The CS assured that investigations would be conducted into all incidents related to Monday’s protests, with appropriate action to be taken against those found culpable. He also mentioned that suspects from the violent protests of June 25, 2025, had been apprehended.

Monday’s Saba Saba commemoration marked the 35th anniversary under heavy police presence, with the Nairobi CBD largely deserted as authorities implemented strict security measures to prevent a repeat of previous protest-related violence.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​